Finally, an app store for robotkind

Why shouldn’t your android get to play with Android apps like you do? Well, a San Francisco company has launched a robot app store so you can teach your old droid some new tricks.

RobotsAppStore.com is aiming to become a universal marketplace for robot applications written by approved developers around the world.

Want to make your Roomba a little more interesting? You can get it to choose the best beer based on its color. And then it can clean up any spills.

Inbar: Do robots crave apps?

(Credit:
RobotsAppStore.com)

The apps won’t be cheap like human apps. A few initial offerings on the site, currently restricted to beta testers, include tools that prompt Aldebaran Robotics’ Nao robot to fetch a Coke ($6.99) and a watchdog function for Sony’s Aibo ($16.99).

The store would keep 30 percent of revenues, and developers get the remaining 70 percent. It’s aiming to have 500 apps when it fully launches.

Robot enthusiasts have been swapping code for a long time, but store founder Elad Inbar believes robot apps could mirror the explosive growth of the Apple App Store and Android Market.